Schilling out of Sox rotation

BOSTON -- The Boston Red Sox are making plans to return from the All-Star break without Curt Schilling in the rotation.

The 40-year-old right-hander went on the 15-day disabled list with right shoulder tendinitis effective June 19, but the team had announced that he won't pitch again until after next week's break. On Wednesday, the Red Sox announced their rotation through July 16 without Schilling.

Schilling played catch Monday and was to do so "several more times" before he would return, manager Terry Francona said.

Josh Beckett is on the AL roster for the Tuesday All-Star game in San Francisco, and if he pitches then the Red Sox would use Tim Wakefield on July 12, when baseball returns from the three-day break. Julian Tavarez will start that Friday, followed by Daisuke Matsuzaka, Beckett and Kason Gabbard.

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• The New York Mets purchased the contract of catcher Sandy Alomar Jr. from New Orleans and sent left-hander Jason Vargas to the minors.

Alomar was hitting .323 with four home runs and 29 RBIs in 38 games with New Orleans.

"We wanted to get an extra guy here in case we could use him as a pinch-hitter," Mets manager Willie Randolph said.

The Mets also shipped Vargas to New Orleans. Vargas took the loss Tuesday, giving up nine runs and 11 hits over 3 1-3 innings in a spot start after left-hander Oliver Perez was placed on the disabled list.

• Randy Johnson returned home to Arizona, a day after a herniated disk landed the Diamondbacks pitcher on the 15-day disabled list for the third time this season.

Arizona manager Bob Melvin said the 43-year-old left-hander has a personal trainer that he's rehabbed with in the past who could combine efforts with team medical personnel. The club, before playing the third game of a four-game set against the Cardinals, also thought it was unnecessary for Johnson to travel to a three-game series in Cincinnati before the All-Star break.

Melvin said no further medical tests were planned for Johnson, who is 4-3 with a 3.81 ERA in 10 starts.

• SOCCER -- David Beckham is confident he can recover from an ankle injury in time for his debut with the Los Angeles Galaxy in a July 21 exhibition against Chelsea in California.

The England midfielder originally injured his left ankle playing for England in a European Championship qualifier June 6. The injury flared again when he played for Real Madrid in the Spanish league.

Beckham decided to have an ankle scan during a stopover in London. His agent, Simon Oliveira, said the scan showed "no long-term damage."

• HOCKEY -- Jeremy Roenick is retiring, a newspaper reported, after an 18-year NHL career in which he became the third-leading American goal-scorer in league history.

Roenick, a nine-time All-Star who played with four teams, sent a text message to a reporter at The Philadelphia Inquirer reading, "I'm retiring; is that still news?"

Roenick played in 70 games last season for Phoenix, his second stint with the Coyotes, and had said late in the season he was considering retirement. He became a free agent on July 1. Before coming to Phoenix, Roenick played for Los Angeles and spent three seasons with Philadelphia.